October 23rd, 2007
You could have a Lemon Law claim! Read this important consumer alert for drivers of the Chevrolet Uplander, Saturn Relay, Buick Terraza, and Pontiac Montana.
Imagine driving in your minivan with your children when all of a sudden the sliding door pops open, putting you and your family at risk. More than 2 dozen complaints have been filed with the national Highway Traffic and Safety Administration from drivers with faulty sliding doors with General Motors minivans, most notably the Chevrolet Uplander. Other vehicles being complained about include the Buick Terraza, the Pontiac Montana and the Saturn Relay. Despite these complaints, there has been no recall Consumers have complained of having the door pop open at speeds exceeding 45mph. Most complaints filed have dealt with 2005-2006 models.
According to on-line reports, GM has previously said there is a quick fix for the problem and they have issued a preliminary report to the service managers on how to fix the issue, blaming it on doors sensors being affected by debris, but there are plenty of consumers who are returning to the dealer time and time again, only to hear that the service manager can't diagnose and/or fix the problem.
Kimmel & Silverman has handled over 100 sliding door case similar to this in the past two years, and says the problem is not limited to GM. These cases have resulted in full or partial refunds for our clients. The frustration lies in the fact that GM is not issuing a voluntary recall on the problem.
If you find that you are dealing with an intermittent sliding door problem, be as specific of when the problem is happening--how fast are you traveling? What are the road conditions? What are the weather conditions? Do you have problems closing the doors? Does the door lock? All of this information is very important to the service department when it comes to diagnosing the problem.
Make sure that each time you pick up your vehicle, you receive a repair invoice which clearly outlines your complaints and the repairs. Once you have three or more repair invoices for this problem, please contact us or fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon Form and we will contact you immediately to further discuss the problem.